Okay I've just finishing listening to all my voted songs and have changed my mind as to what gets the gold now (sorry pop), the utterly glorious 'Introspective' which somehow I only gave 5 points to at the time. Clearly my mind was not all there back then

BJSC 123

Host Countries: Hendinia

Overview

From one (outgoing) moderating nation to another, Hendinia took over the reins for 123 following their dominant victory. This contest took place right around the time much of the real world plunged into lockdown but there were no such disruptions to the BJSC universe where it was all very much business as usual. Perhaps because of this, uptake and interest in the contest was on the rise, with the number of participants reaching the 60 mark. A BJSC record was broken in this contest, one which still stands to this day, that being the longest ever submitted entry in terms of song length, namely the rather cryptically titled '@@@@@' which clocked in at all of 62 minutes and 21 seconds. The contest was won for the first and so far only time by the United States of Jack, the first maiden victory for 5 contests.

Dobago's Entry

Result: DNQ (25th in Semi)

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for punjabi/bhangra music. There's something about the playful drumbeat that tends to draw me in and I enjoy the typically lively vocals in spite of not understanding a single word of much of the genres. This particular track of course is a Western fusion containing English-sung sections which I was introduced to during my year living in New Zealand post-university. Working in a sales team which was about 60/70% Indian, this was a track they would frequently play on road trips, most likely because it served as a more accessible entry point for their remaining mostly-European colleagues into their general tastes and one which understandably had wider appeal. So this was a song I had played from time to time for a good 6 years prior to submitting it into the contest. At one point it was THE song I had planned to send as an AQ should Dobago ever win the contest but banking on such an occurrence is clearly fool's play so something in early 2020 compelled us to just throw it out there. I do enjoy the switch ups between the singers/languages and the chilled nature of the piece and of course a bonus point for referencing where I was living at the time but it likely is a song that retains personal appeal due to nostalgia and this of course was never going to yield the same effect with a brand new audience. That said, despite it's flop performance it did receive a 12, a 10 & a 6 in the votes albeit that was literally it. This meant back to back DNQs for only the second time and a significant bullet-sized hole straight into any hopes of climbing higher than a personal best of 14th in the EOY.

Winning Entry

Country: United States of Jack

Much like with NINA, Betty had had quite varied success in BJSC with her previous entries but Who also struck gold in 2020 with this early noughties-inspired pop bop. Sounding like something straight out of Max Martin's playbook among Backstreet Boys' and Britney Spears' anthems of the past, it's a catchy and confident track with very relatable lyrics. Listening back now, it still actually sounds pretty fresh and would probably still do decently today if perhaps not managing to go the whole distance. 123 was certainly a much stronger contest however than its predecessor and because of this, 'The One' didn't quite sneak into our votes however this is a much better song than the first 2 winners of 2020 and also managed an extremely impressive winning margin of 75 points ahead of the runner-up as that throwback sound captured the interests of many of the Buzzverse.

18-Pointer

Country: Terra Avium (result: 16th)

From a retrospective gold medal to Terra Avium to an actual one this time around and there's no doubt whatsoever here that the sentiment remains. Fractal Dreamers were a name I was already familiar with courtesy of their appearance in an early Club Bizarre edition and this song is impressively different to that one but without compromising on quality. A glorious, hypnotic instrumental that constantly builds to an epic climax which truly takes you on an exhilarating journey. This song could totally soundtrack a furious space chase movie scene, with crafts dodging asteroids and gamma rays aplenty. I actually feel this song could have been longer despite a 4m+ runtime as it has quite the abrupt ending following the breathtaking final minute section. Nevertheless it was an easy favourite from this contest with little competition for top honours. Included in that "little" would be the phenomenal rap entry 'Blood Of The Fang' which broke down glass ceilings by landing in the top 10, helped on its way by 15 points from us. Taking bronze was the gorgeous new age number 'Adiemus' which truly channelled its inner 'Illumbarada'. In stark contrast to the previous several contests, there are a handful of songs on our vote list that we can confidently recall from title alone, namely all of 'Everybody Wants To Be Famous', 'Golden', 'Cherry Red', 'Dancing Next To Me', 'Black Leather' and 'Guilty Conscience' so this was a quite brilliant contest packed full of quality across the board. You even had another soon to be huge UK smash in 'Fake Friends' kicking about which passed us by in this contest before growing massively following its commercial breakthrough (sorry!) and the first appearance of a certain LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER who will be performing in some pretty well-known real life contest next month. The bar is set high for the rest of 2020!

NB that lyric from Black Leather 'You come in here looking like a snack' still makes me laugh every single time...

Wow I don’t recall Betty Who being submitted at all!!

10 years of Drinidad and Dobago!

123 was a great contest of this year, certainly in contention to be the best one of 2020, of all those highlights you mention in your votes I have a very similar list that I can recall, 'Azure Of The Horizon' is beautiful and of course I still love 'Blood Of The Fang' very much. Very good time for the contest to be this good.

love that you entered 'Crab Rave', don't think that really gets old.

'Crab Rave' showing up in BJSC was iconic - still a relevant meme to this day (most recently referenced it offsite when Viktor Orbán got 🦀ed x). All memeing aside it is a really fun high energy house banger, got 11 points from me. I think I remember ranking the Felix Snow song highly in its semi as well although I was in the opposite semi - every song on its parent EP had the word 'Buffalo' in the title, not sure what that was about.

Also much love for Fractal Dreamers + 070 Shake getting a passing mention yay (still one of my faves of my own entries albeit one I was a bit cheeky sending a bit after it had already given me one of my biggest hits in PopJustice's contest - funnily enough a trick I just kind of repeated with Searows who also got a similar result in both contests).

BJSC 124

Host Countries: United States Of Jack, Aeroche & République d’Áskorza

Overview

With 2 DNQs from the first 3 contests, this was unfortunately our worst ever start to a BJSC year but in a way that completely took off any semblance of pressure to attempt to crack the EOY top 10 for the first time. As such, the remainder of entries for 2020 were likely to be a mixture of random new discoveries and tracks patiently lingering on our Potentials playlist. Following their debut victory, we jetted off to United States of Jack for the first time, which had previously been a relatively active country before our participation but had since made a return to the contest. Sadly however, the trip was curtailed due to personal circumstances for the host, therefore proceedings were subsequently split between past and present moderating nations. Jupiterdonia would ultimately come out victorious, making it back to back debut wins in the contest. There was also an appearance from a little-known song called 'Pink Pony Club' which would go on to become a rather better-known song many years down the line yet failed to qualify, largely in part due to an unfortunate deduction.

Dobago's Entry

Result: 8th

This track very much was an "indirect discovery", by which I mean it came about by chance whilst searching for appropriate entries for the most recent volume of Club Bizarre, which had taken place shortly before and prescribed entries to be within the synthwave subgenre. Synthwave was very much a blind spot area for me prior to that contest but I found out I had quite the fondness for its general sound and atmosphere. This song was one of a handful which I had shortlisted as a potential submission but eventually settled for an alternative entry. Not long afterwards I found myself returning to the track and was completely captivated by its energy and the way it progressively built up to an electrifying climax of glorious dark synths and hair-rising guitar riffs. It simply had to be fast-tracked to the front of the queue prior to the next BJSC and this turned out to be a highly fruitful decision as it scored our first (and only) top 10 of the year but also broke a national record in receiving 5 gold medals in the final. This after surprisingly only finishing 12th in its semi. I still very much enjoy this song and it takes me back to happy memories during an otherwise challenging time period. MASTER BOOT RECORD would go on to later represent and earn our best result in a Nuggets contest with a song I actually prefer overall out of the two.

Winning Entry

Country: Jupiterdonia

Much like with the previous year, it had so far been a barren run of supporting winning entries but this significantly changed in 124 with the crowning of this most fabulous house track. A brooding yet fascinating piece which effectively serves as an instrumental due to the intentionally indecipherable "vocal" refrains scattered throughout, this hits all the right spots in capturing your attention and forcing the replay button upon you. It certainly didn't sound like a winning contender to me but it was extremely pleasing to witness its victory as it showed songs like this could still do the business should the cards fall the right way. We awarded this track a silver medal on its way to a highly satisfying total of 300 points which was all the more important due to its very narrow winning margin of 7 points over runner-up entry 'Spaces' which we had snubbed completely from our votes. This still sounds absolutely brilliant now and it's such an expertly crafted piece of music that it'll likely stand the test of time long into the future of the underground house music scene.

18-Pointer

Country: Tartford (result: 40th)

This is a track of which I have zero collection of how it goes from title alone but listening to it back now the memories are happily returning. A tense but thrilling, string-laden house epic very much of the ilk you'd expect from the Italian DJ who gave the world a 'Nightmare' in the late 1990s. I'm really surprised this hasn't stayed with me at all post-contest as it's one hell of a fun listen, with both forceful and delicate instrumental segments taking turns at the wheel, topped off with sprinkles of robotic Daft Punk-esque vocals to produce a truly absorbing piece. House music was clearly on the menu for Dobago this contest however since it has remained stronger in my affections in the years since, we have to give the winning track our retrospective gold medal here which certainly matches the overall contrasting affection between them at the time with 'Rock Your Body' undeservedly finishing third from last. Completing the podium was the Carle Rae Jepsen-sounding 'Yeah No' which would have fit snugly among the top tier pop seen in previous recent competitions. The only other big highlight from 124 was 'Welcome To The Neighbourhood' but I have to also give a shoutout to one of a handful of Covid-inspired entries experienced that year in the wholesome and uplifting 'NHS70'.

We really did 'Pink Pony Club' dirty even if it had a deduction!

I remember thinking it was decent in the competition but I didn't properly connect with it until watching a live performance, then the emotion behind it really hit, especially with a crowd of fans singing along. I'm quite happy to have a break from it for a while now though following its ubiquity last year.

MASTER BOOT RECORD has stuck with me so I was surprised to find that I only gave it 4 points. Better than nothing at least and yay for the top 10 placing nevertheless.

'Fet House Mode' was an instance of my 18 pointer going on to win so almost snap there.

'BAYAREA.BMP' was an 18 for me and still heavily slaps to this day (I last got it on shuffle just about a week ago). I think I liked the one from Club Bizarre too but not quite as much.

Well a belated appreciation of Introspective is better than never! That has one of the best visuals I've sent to a contest with it's beautiful Reykjavik setting and it's become one of my favourite entries to return to, a wonderful moody, atmospheric piano piece.

Great write-up for Fractal Dreamers, it's a shame they haven't come out with anything since as everything they produced was epic, cinematic dance music (or 'artcore' as it is branded) at its finest, I would recommend the EP Kingdom of Silence and the parent album for Azure on the Horizon.

BAYAREA.BMP is a Dobago highlight, a wonderful, frantic instrumental, I think it was my 18 (the perils of not saving my votes x) and that was a nice swap given the contest before x

On 11/05/2026 at 17:50, Chez Wombat said:

Well a belated appreciation of Introspective is better than never! That has one of the best visuals I've sent to a contest with it's beautiful Reykjavik setting and it's become one of my favourite entries to return to, a wonderful moody, atmospheric piano piece.

Great write-up for Fractal Dreamers, it's a shame they haven't come out with anything since as everything they produced was epic, cinematic dance music (or 'artcore' as it is branded) at its finest, I would recommend the EP Kingdom of Silence and the parent album for Azure on the Horizon.

BAYAREA.BMP is a Dobago highlight, a wonderful, frantic instrumental, I think it was my 18 (the perils of not saving my votes x) and that was a nice swap given the contest before x

It was indeed your 18, a welcome immediate gold medal return!

BJSC 125

Host Countries: Jupiterdonia

Overview

A first trip to Jupiterdonia beckoned for the last contest before the traditional summer break and Dobago were on a bit of a high following a hasty return to the top 10 last time out. There weren't any obvious contenders in terms of a follow-up entry so it was a case of picking what best caught the attention from the Potentials bucket. I recall for reasons I can't recall that I was not quite as invested in this contest despite qualifying and our votes being submitted rather hastily and last-minute but it was a hugely exciting finale with a 3-way fight for victory. In the end it was Altyr Muunilinst who prevailed for a third time but first for over 50 contests.

Dobago's Entry

Result: 40th

This was very much a return to the ultra-low known dance numbers although at least not quite to the extent of having to take YouTube upload matters into our own hands. Certainly a track from which I don't recall its method of discovery but a its highly enjoyable piano-driven house anthem that very much harks back to the 90s with its sound and structure. I was actually unaware that it contained a sample until several years later when I fortuitously heard the original in question (Rick James' 'Give It To Me Baby') since I don't believe it was noted during the contest itself. If ever there was a clear example of how important semi draws (and indeed how irrelevant semi results) can be it's that this entry matched the semi-final position of 'BAYAREA.BMP' but then proceeded to land third bottom in the final, not even managing to amass a century of points. I definitely feel this one was a bit hard done by as it still sounds really good now but unfortunately at the time it turned out the masses simply had had enough of 'Hot'.

Winning Entry

Country: Altyr Muunilinst

After a huge W for dance in 124 we were back to pop being at the top however this was an entry for which we did afford what turned out to be a pretty crucial handful of points. Swedish singer Nova Miler, not to be confused with fellow BJSC alumnus Nova May, had been entered once before, earning a respectable 17th place finish but this entry went 16 better. It's a pretty standard pop song which relies on an extremely big chorus but adds a bit of extra spice with a rather impromptu-sounding saxophone section. But it does everything very well and that striking chorus followed by the repeated Boney M/Lady Gaga inspired (?) "ma ma mi amors" is undeniably ultra-catchy and it remains a very good listen 6 years later. In what was one of the tightest victories since our participation, it edged out runner-up 'Faded' by a mere 2 points, with bronze-medallist 'Pyramids' only a further 8 points back. But since we didn't point either of those this was the best outcome in a contest which was dominated by the pop sphere.

18-Pointer

Country: Persephonia (result: 17th)

Another entry I needed a revisit to remember exactly how it went although I certainly recalled the dark, foreboding mood it immediately conjured up. It's an extremely hypnotising piece of electronic music which doesn't and doesn't need to shift any gears to maintain its intrigue and enjoyment. Some songs are just absolutely brilliant at setting a scene and taking you right there and there are few which do that quite as well as this one. The haunted house cover photo reaffirms such feelings and you really feel like you are in a breathless race for escape (appropriately it's the 2016 movie 'Don't Breath' which is exactly the thing springing to mind). This is definitely one I should have given more love to in subsequent years although it is our 15-pointer which has had the better run of things overall since, that being another equally engrossing electronic edit of 'Gravity'. As of right now however we're still sticking with our original 18 and will be sure to give it a spin or two come Hallowe'en season! Rounding out the top 3 was the utterly lush and chill 'HEART ATTACK' (which is quite an odd sentence to type). There's a bit of intrigue aside from the podium this time around where eternal Dobagan legend Offer Nissim was bidding to make it 4 gold medals out of 4 but alas the streak did come to an end and he had to settle for a measly 12 points for 'Better Man'. Then you had the eternal soul classic of 'A Change Is Gonna Come' appearing as an anniversary entry for which we recall having a very difficult time trying to place within our points (it got 10). And finally a mention for 'Spinning Over You' which had been entered by yours truly to a Pop Forum Song Contest a couple of years prior to a pretty muted response but yet here landed comfortably within the top 10, certainly a contrast which left us both rubbing our eyes and scratching our heads.

BJSC 126

Host Countries: Altyr Muunilinst

Overview

We kicked off the second half of the year in Altyr Muunilinst following their victory in 125. This is a contest I really don't recall anything particularly standout happening aside from losing one of our big faves from the semi in one of the MANY BJSC songs entitled 'ghost' across the years, this one being from the wacky and eclectic nelward. With real life sort of returning to a somewhat normal at this point, the immersion into BJSC wasn't quite as intensive as before but the continual draw to participating in the contest meant we could resume scouring through the potentials. Aeroche would win their 13th contest in an equally tense fight as the previous contest, making it 2 wins so far for the year and 5 from the previous 18 contests. We really weren't worthy!

Dobago's Entry

Result: 41st

This was a song that seemed to be relatively widespread as usage in YouTube video introductory soundbeds for several channels I was following at the time, at least the initial instrumental section. The likelihood therefore is I would have Shazam'd it at some point to discover the whole track. It's a full-on, adrenaline-inducing trap banger that throws a multitude of elements in your face, unsurprisingly becoming synonymous with Fast & Furious style car chase scenes as illustrated in a popular accompanying although presumably "unofficial" music video. We were rather cautious about sending this track, which became our second rap-orientated entry, as it felt like quite a risk compared with what would generally be considered more palatable to BJSC tastes but it did manage to squeak through its semi in 20th place before ultimately finishing second bottom, managing to "outdo" its predecessor both in terms of points and finishing position. Not one I revisit often but it's still a fun listen and takes me right back to late 2010s. For a "reasonably" well known song, it's virtually impossible to find out anything about the act behind it however given their stage name, I'd imagine that's the whole point.

Winning Entry

Country: Aeroche

When I saw the name Klangkarussell appear in the contest I was initially rather excited, since by far their best known song 'Sonnentanz' was a huge personal fave at the time and definitely an all-time great one hit wonder in terms of the UK charts. However it unfortunately became apparent within the first minute that this track simply wasn't for me. It's a very well-crafted piece of downtempo electronic music but it is just oh so very dull. I definitely think it's mostly down to the vocals, which offer absolutely nothing aside from a mopey, monotonous and downright depressing tone all the way through but the song really fails to really go anywhere either which is quite the issue for a 5 and a half minute track. My sentiments towards the song have not changed over the years so this is firmly ranked in the lower echelons of BJSC winners. Just like with 'Mi Amor' the winning margin was 2 points however this time we were very much rooting for the eventual runner-up which received 10 points from us but clearly needed just a few more to continue our renewed streak of pointing winning entries.

18-Pointer

Country: Summericia (result: 34th)

I seem to be having a lot of trouble recalling our gold medallists from 2020 and this one is no exception. But clearly we couldn't resist an epic-sounding instrumental as that is exactly the route this entry goes down. I'm not aware of this actually being from a specific movie/TV show but it ticks all the boxes of how something of that ilk would be expected to sound. It's a very polished and powerful piece but ultimately doesn't really stick out in any significant way, leading me to conclude that 126 was rather more bereft of quality than the previous few contests. Indeed, our other medallists from this contest are also just words on a page prior to relistening. We gave 15 to the striking, upbeat remix of 'Magnificent' from a rather long-in-the-tooth-by-now Rozalla and 13 to the enchanting house number 'Gummi' which is probably sounding the best of 3 right now but still nothing that really sets the senses alight. Aside from 'Plachu Na Tekhno' and 'Eye Of The Storm' which both really should have been further up, there's not much else to shout out about lower down our vote list either so we can confine this contest to the recycling bin (#savetheplanetetc) especially given our aforementioned retrospective fave 'ghost' couldn't even make the final here. We could have however at least ended Kluminican Republic's bridesmaid status a good number of years earlier!

BJSC 127

Host Country: Aeroche

Overview

A quick return to Aeroche was the order for 127. This was the last contest to be held before our grand 50th anniversary so at the very least we were hoping to continue our current qualifying streak. In an otherwise reasonably uneventful contest it ended with a very noteworthy outcome. Bhangra had been competing in the contest since its inception and was victorious in the third edition. After a very long break they returned shortly after our participation began and now would finally win for second time, making that a then record gap between victories, a record that Kathaldazia would subsequently break themselves 3 years later.

Dobago's Entry

Result: 40th

What was turning into quite an unspectacular year for us performance-wise resulted in turning to a national hero from alternative ventures. Farhad Mahdavi became the first ever victor of the newly crafted Dance Forum's BJSC cousin in Club Bizarre with his epic trance instrumental 'Warsaw' and we had kept faint tabs on his subsequent releases. This particular track was another standout, one, as the Thumbnail conspicuously implies, featuring a vocal accompaniment. Trance however was beginning to enter a lull in the contest at this point and realistically the warning signs were all there for another underwhelming result but nonetheless it was such a big fave of mine at the time, featuring powerful yet dainty synths and a striking hook. Following another relatively close shave in the Semis it was to be a third bottom 3 finish in a row. At least we were just about stitching together another decent qualifying streak but we were very much falling short in troubling the upper reaches of the scoreboards.

Winning Entry

Country: Bhangra

Another winner which was already a familiar name to most, through the Australian band's breakthrough single 'Geronimo' which topped the chart in their home country and made a minor dent in the British one 5 years prior. That one was quite the fun, infectious bop however this track did not manage to leave the same positive impression for us. It's a perfectly serviceable indie-pop number that I can envisage seamlessly slotting into a FIFA tracklist but it really has very little standout features at all. I find the quasi-shouty vocal delivery in the chorus a little jarring and the extended "young-oh-oh-oh" parts borderline annoying. Just a wholly forgettable song that totally passed us by on listenthroughs but it definitely found its target audience in BJSC as it sauntered to a reasonably comfortable victory over runner-up 'The Disco' which we also overlooked points-wise at the time but is sounding much better on revisit.

18-Pointer

Country: Summericia (result: 3rd)

Whilst the top 2 weren't catering so much to our desires, the same certainly couldn't have been said of the bronze medallist. A quite stunning and mesmerising piece of music, featuring chilling, spoken word segments puncturing sections of hypnotic and piercing synths. It fuses together the best elements of multiple subgenres such as techno, witch house and even a subtle sprinkling of new age with the haunting hymn-like vocal additions. The whole listening experience is frantic, unsettling and highly thought-provoking in the absolute best possible way. It was a clear fave from the get go despite being in the opposite semi and the 18 points really weren't ever in danger of drifting elsewhere. Gladly, plenty of other participants felt a similar way and it was rewarded with a fully deserved top 3 position. Another gold medal to Summericia made it the first time we had given a country back to back 18s and drew them level at the top with Bøtanikkä on 5 occasions each. Bøtanikkä themselves featured on our podium with the insanely catchy 90s eurodance offering 'Tic, Tic Tac'. Joining them was the highlight from our semi, an irresistible slice of electro-synthpop in 'Vacation Bible School'. On what must certainly have been a rare occasion, our whole top 3 finished in the top 10 of the contest. There were also some great entries in the Aqua-esque, nostalgia-inducing 'Tarzan & Jane', the effortlessly funky house banger 'Neutron Dance', a song with which we were already familiar, and not least the full fat felt-melter 'Nachbarn' which went some way towards righting the wrongs of DJ Peacock's unjust elimination the previous year. So this was a personal top 6 of extremely high quality and numerous takeaways as we headed into our landmark anniversary contest...

I realise I'm certainly dragging my heels with this project but rest assured it's getting done. I'll try and get up to 130 done soon before a rather busy July then will aim to go more full throttle during August!

BJSC 128

Host Countries: République d’Áskorza & Terra Avium

Overview

The time had come for our grand 50th anniversary contest. Of course this meant a relaxation of the standard veto framework, with the caveat of any eligible participants being encouraged to enter an act that best reflects their nation. That being said, there was only ever one candidate from our perspective and it almost certainly wouldn't have bothered said framework even in a 'standard' contest. I recall being stuck in a 2-week quarantine at this time having just returned from abroad but was therefore able to throw myself more into the contest than was typical, even going so far as to get the Head of State and frontman of our entry Rob Swire to present the results of the Dobagan jury. After winning last contest, Bhangra elected not to host 128 and in fact the duties were unusually awarded as low down as last month's 14th-placer Terra Avium, assisted by République d’Áskorza for the semis. The contest unfortunately got off to a disappointing start with our clear highlight 'Pistolwhip' failing to progress but nonetheless this was overall a very fun one with which to be involved. FARC would prevail for a fourth time, coming home a decent margin ahead of a super tense scrap for second.

Dobago's Entry

Result: 28th

My favourite song of all time, truly fitting for such an occasion. Pendulum were one of the bands from my teenage years, where my music preferences were properly being to take shape, from which I remember liking enough to buy albums, along with Green Day, Scooter and The Prodigy. Their distinct take on drum and bass, jungle and later, industrial rock always impressed me to such a high degree that their albums and early EPs soundtracked many adolescent memories. In Silico is what is consider their most complete album, without a single dud and the absolute sweet spot of their craft. Amusingly, 'The Tempest' was not a favourite initially as I found it a bit too much of a departure from their usual high-energy, heart thumping output which was more of my taste back then, yet like a fine wine, it matured to such an extent over the following years that it has remained my all time favourite song since at least as far back as 2012. I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about why I love this track so much but to try and stay more in tangent with the project I will merely highlight its BJSC performance. Of course we were overjoyed when it qualified, as a DNQ would have left quite the sour taste indeed but it then went on to finish a very respectable 28th in the final which became our third best result of the year. More than that however it was the perfect opportunity to introduce potentially 50+ other individuals to my favourite band's magnum opus and an all time classic of electronic rock.

Winning Entry

Country: FARC

Tei Shi had previously been entered once to BJSC some near 6 years ago so this was my first exposure to the singer. And happily, it was a very positive one. This is a relatively standard indie-pop track with an eye-catching title but just works so brilliantly as a full package. The hook in this song is absolute top tier and takes the track to a completely other level compared with many others of the genre but overall there's very little in general I can criticise. I like how the verses are so subdued as to even further elevate that infectious chorus and the middle 8 section where Tei Shi lets her vocal abilities shine. Much like a previous FARC winner in 'Save It' this is exactly the ballpark in which I like my pop and I could recall the majority of the song all these years later just one from glance at the title. It was just the third winner of 2020 we had rewarded but with a solid 10 points as it ran out winning reasonably comfortably ahead of a scarcely believable close battle for second split by a solitary vote. A particularly pleasing result for us as this was only song in the entire top 11 which we pointed! Lookylion who came third became the first country in almost 10 years to debut with a medal position.

18-Pointer

Country: Terra Avium (result: 29th)

Amnesia Scanner were another act who had been sent once before but here with an entry I very much recall, if not being a top fave from the contest in question. This one however went right to the top of the tree once 'Pistolwhip's elimination had been confirmed. This is one of those entries that just hits a vibe in a specific way that is difficult to explain but totally wins me over. I particularly enjoy the general foreboding mood of the track with the repetitive downward guitar riff playing as a backdrop to the eerie, otherworldly humming parts. Then you have the bits which sound like if Die Antwoord sang in Spanish which was always going to go down well over here. It's weird, it's wacky but it's wholly wonderful and it was an added bonus to be able to award the hosts themselves our gold medal, their second from us of the year. They ultimately finished just below ourselves in the final standings. Our silver was given to another oddity at least on paper, a synthwave banger featuring Arnie quotes in the aptly titled 'Schwarzenegger', with bronze going to the gorgeous and airy electrohouse number 'Sister'. Truth be told, these 3 could retrospectively be placed in any order (as indeed they were in the semi where their positions were reversed) as I enjoy them roughly the same but if pushed, I would in all likelihood stick with 'AS Tearless' simply for being the one I have replayed the most in the years since.

Aw I loved 'Ghostkeeper' <3 I agree that hearing it for the first time was a shock to the system after knowing Klangkarussell's breezy real-world hit!

However, our taste is more in line with your last few 18s - especially KAS:ST an intense, all-time great Summericia entry.

BJSC 129

Host Country: FARC

Overview

Onto the penultimate contest of the year and we had quietly been building up a respectable qualifying streak again despite the general lowly results. We were back to 'regular' potentials now so could we see out the year with a run of 7 finals reached? As winners last time out FARC hosted the entire contest, which ended in a third victory for Cor Lupus just shy of 2 years after their previous one. Not much else springs to mind with this one so on with the highlighted songs...

Dobago's Entry

Result: DNQ (22nd in Semi)

Well. the answer to the question above was a no unfortunately, despite picking up a solid half century of points in the semi, bringing the qualifying streak to an end. I truly have no idea how I first discovered this slick drum and bass track but I was drawn in by the gradual piano-chord build-up and sporadic smatterings of electronic guitar. The whole piece with its repeated "people... evil people" refrain and the playful riffs gives off a huge whiff of a sample and indeed I have just dug out the original inspiration, namely a 1971 jazz rock song entitled 'Out Of Reach' by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. This is in fact new information to me as of right now as I certainly didn't care to dig any deeper at the time. That probably also goes some way to explaining the curious name of the act behind this entry. Either way, this drum and bass makeover was a fun find for myself yet sadly failed to make the cut in BJSC. Admittedly, it's not one I've revisited much in the time since and wouldn't be troubling the upper reaches of a full Dobagan ranking today. Fun fact, the semi-final also consisted of a rather more well-known and similarly named act in Utah Saints!

Winning Entry

Country: Cor Lupus

K-pop had long been a strong presence in the competition yet had never managed to produce a winning track. That all changed here though in dramatic fashion as this entry pulled off an impressive 35-point winning margin. The genre is certainly very hit and miss for me as I find a lot of it largely similar in sound and nature, with songs generally needing to do quite a bit to properly stand out. EVERGLOW had in fact been entered just 3 contest prior, coming home in 18th so there was no initial obvious signs this one would do a whole lot better. It actually falls into a similar bracket of many K-pop songs for me, being perfectly listenable and enjoyable without overly capturing my attention. I like the upbeat, punchy feeling of the song and the chorus is an undeniable earworm but I certainly wouldn't be in a rush to hit the replay button. We did afford it 3 points in our ranking so were pleased to avoid another winning entry snub but there are definitely a handful of prior entries from its field that we would have preferred to have broken the proverbial glass ceiling.

18-Pointer

(Alestorm - f***ed with an Anchor)

Country: Séyetana (result: 19th)

Well I suppose it had to happen eventually that one of these entries would be backlisted on external websites but hey ho, them's the breaks! It has been mentioned a few times now my penchant for a good ol' novelty banger and this is the sort of thing that's so far up my street it can't even see the exit. For a song of this ilk to truly work it has to go all in with 100% unbated enthusiasm. The sheer hilarity of the overtly juvenile lyrics, especially when sung in that accent, over the backing of a rock-infused sea shanty makes this one truly memorable 'work of art'. It takes a lot to genuinely make me laugh at hearing a song for the first time but this managed to do that that in spades. I certainly couldn't objectively class this as the pick of the bunch in terms of outright quality but for leaving an overall positive impression, very few entries have done what they were presumably set out to do quite as effectively as this one. Amazingly, it finished in the top half to rapturous applause from our delegation. A first ever 18 from us to Séyetana and a huge standout that would have needed something truly spellbinding to oust it from the top step of our podium, it led home 2 pop tracks, those being the wildly unhinged 'Jealous of Myself' and the smooth, sassy serving of 'NATURE' - Elley Duhé at last getting her deserved success in this contest on attempt #3.